Used to be the Trying Woodsman... as derived from the Flying Dutchman...
In this blog I'll post my outdooradventures and other things related to this topic...but I decided to expand my blogposts and topics to include homesteading, self reliance and all things related. Global and social developments on enviromental issues and associated economic or political issues... They'll all find a place too, somehow.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Don't you just love summer??

I most certainly do.... or do I?

source; svt.se

Just now I was looking out my livingroom window and saw a vague mist hanging in our valley. Everything smells like smoke all day already. The reason? A forestfire about 85km to the south from here. That has started on thursday and is, untill now saturday 18:30, still not under control. So what, you might think... A long way away. Well, we in our region have the highest forestfire risk classification now too; a 5E, meaning very high risk and extremely dry and living in a heavily wooded area.... Yeah, that does make me a little nervous. I know it doesn't compare with the fires one regularly sees in the US or in Australia for instance, but still... I have no experience with anything like this what's however, so have no idea of what to expect in case it might happen here.

We were up at the kolmila today and everything is as good as ready for it to be lit. The preset date is august 30th, but that may have to be postponed, unless the weather is to change and the predictions for the next 2 weeks are not good. Not good as in continually hot, dry and breezy.... Looking at the vegetation it will take more than a summer downpour to remedy this.... much more. Even the grass of our lawn crackles when you walk over it....
Which by the way is swarming with forest ants.... They have become a plague this year. They are everywhere and in vast numbers. Sitting in the garden is no fun right now. Not that it was anyway, since we are having some trouble with flying vermin too. Nope, not mosquitoes. See hardly any of them. No, they are a bit bigger; flies and above all wasps. They are quite abundant this year too and today I found out why they are even more abundant in and around our house. When I climbed up the roof to look around the valley I was suddenly surrounded by a good number of agitated black/yellow striped stinging bugs. I was standing right on top of their nest, beneath the ladder, under the rooftiles.
So..... Taking into account that we had very un-Swedish-like high temperatures during our vacation, spoiling that one a bit (if I wanted those I'd have moved to Spain!), inescapable warmth, bugging, biting, bloodsucking bugs.... and noisy summer guests.
Well, at least there are hardly any ticks either, so that is a good thing.... One good thing...

But there is ANOTHER good thing about summer; it's end! In a month time the meteorological autumn begins, a season which will give us those wonderfull autumncolours and harvests.... if there are any leaves left on the trees by then that is and will also give us cool days and colder nights. And then it will not be long until that other, silent, serene and bright season begins; winter! Just hope it'll be more of a winter than the last one....

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Please remember that copying the things I did, is entirely at your own risk and to your own judgement. I can not and will not be held responsible for anything going wrong. When using potentially hazardous things like sharp blades, fire or anything else, please think before you do!!!

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